Are you looking for a stunning, elegant, and ridiculously easy dessert for your Thanksgiving or Christmas table that requires absolutely no baking? This beautiful, from-scratch Cranberry Orange Parfait is your new secret weapon. With its gorgeous, jewel-toned layers and its light, creamy, and perfectly balanced sweet-tart flavor, it’s a showstopper that you can make entirely in advance for a completely stress-free holiday.
This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a guide to creating a sophisticated dessert with a few brilliant, simple tricks. We’ll show you how to transform plain yogurt into a thick, luxurious, Greek-style cream, and how to create two distinct, delicious, layered mousses from a single batch of whipped cream. Topped with a sprinkle of crunchy, toasted pecans, this is the perfect, light, and refreshing finale to a rich holiday meal.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Easiest Elegant Holiday Dessert
What makes this Cranberry Orange Parfait so spectacular is its no-bake simplicity and its beautiful, layered presentation. The recipe brilliantly creates two different light and airy mousse-like layers: a tangy, sweet orange-yogurt cream and a festive, tart cranberry cream. The secret to the rich and tangy yogurt layer is a simple but crucial step of straining plain yogurt to remove its excess water, creating a thick and creamy base. It’s the ultimate make-ahead dessert that is perfect for any special occasion.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 2 hours (includes straining and chilling) |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 4 parfaits |
The Essential Ingredients for This Festive Treat
This recipe uses a handful of simple, smart ingredients to create a truly spectacular result.
- The Creamy Layers: This is where the magic of this light and airy dessert happens.
- Plain Yogurt: The secret to the rich, tangy orange layer is to start with plain yogurt and strain it to create a thick, Greek-style yogurt. This is a fantastic, budget-friendly trick!
- Orange Marmalade: A few tablespoons of a good-quality orange marmalade adds a wonderful, sweet, and zesty citrus flavor with lovely, tiny pieces of peel.
- Canned Whole Cranberry Sauce: Using a can of whole-berry cranberry sauce is a fantastic shortcut that provides the beautiful color and the classic, sweet-tart flavor of the holidays.
- Heavy Cream: Freshly whipped heavy cream is the key that transforms both the yogurt base and the cranberry base into light, airy, mousse-like layers.
- The Topping (Toasted Pecans): A simple sprinkle of toasted, chopped pecans provides the perfect, much-needed crunchy and nutty contrast to the cool, creamy parfait layers.
Pro Tutorial: How to Easily Strain Yogurt
This is a fantastic kitchen hack that will give you thick, creamy, Greek-style yogurt from any regular plain yogurt.
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a deep bowl.
- Line the sieve with a coffee filter or a double layer of paper towels.
- Spoon your 2 cups of plain yogurt into the lined sieve.
- Let the yogurt drain over the bowl for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
- You will see a clear, watery liquid (the whey) accumulate in the bottom of the bowl. Simply discard this liquid and use your beautiful, thick, strained yogurt!
Step-by-Step to the Perfect Parfaits
Follow these simple, detailed steps for a perfect, elegant, and crowd-pleasing result every time.
Step 1: Strain the Yogurt and Whip the Cream
First, strain your 2 cups of plain yogurt as described in the tutorial above for at least 1 hour. Discard the liquid whey and place your thick, strained yogurt in a large bowl. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of orange marmalade.
In a separate large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the 3/4 cup of very cold heavy cream until it begins to thicken. Add the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and the 1 tablespoon of sugar and continue to whip until the cream holds beautiful, soft peaks.
Step 2: Create the Orange & Cranberry Cream Layers
In a medium bowl, add the 10-ounce can of whole cranberry sauce. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice and the 2 teaspoons of orange zest.
Now, we will divide our whipped cream. Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the cranberry sauce mixture until it is just combined.
Gently fold the other half of the whipped cream into the bowl with your orange marmalade and yogurt mixture until it is just combined. You now have your two beautiful, creamy layers!
Pro Tip: Be sure to gently fold, not stir, the whipped cream into your two bases. This is the secret to maintaining all the light, airy volume that you whipped into the cream.
Step 3: Assemble Your Beautiful Parfaits
Using four beautiful parfait glasses or wine glasses, begin to layer your two cream mixtures.
Start with a layer of the orange-yogurt mixture, followed by a layer of the cranberry mixture. Repeat the layers until you have filled all four glasses.
Step 4: Chill, Garnish, and Serve
Cover the parfaits and chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or until you are ready to serve.
Right before serving, top each parfait with a sprinkle of the 2 tablespoons of chopped, toasted pecans.
The Best Easy & Elegant Cranberry Orange Parfait
An elegant, layered no-bake dessert, this Cranberry Orange Parfait features two distinct creamy mixtures. The first layer is a tangy orange-yogurt cream, made by straining plain yogurt to thicken it and then mixing it with orange marmalade and fresh whipped cream. The second layer is a sweet-tart cranberry cream, made by combining canned whole cranberry sauce with orange juice, zest, and more whipped cream. These two mixtures are layered in parfait glasses and finished with a sprinkle of toasted pecans.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes (includes yogurt straining and chilling time)
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake, Layering, Chilling
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons orange marmalade
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 (10-ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted
Instructions
- Line a fine-mesh sieve with a coffee filter or doubled paper towels and set it over a bowl. Add the yogurt to the sieve and let it drain for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight in the refrigerator, to thicken. Discard the drained liquid.
- Transfer the drained yogurt to a bowl and stir in the orange marmalade.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until it begins to thicken. Add the vanilla and sugar and continue to whip until soft peaks form.
- Create the Layers: In a medium bowl, combine the cranberry sauce with the orange juice and orange zest. Gently fold in half of the whipped cream.
- In the bowl with the yogurt mixture, gently fold in the other half of the whipped cream.
- Assemble the Parfaits: Layer the yogurt mixture and the cranberry mixture alternately in 4 parfait glasses or wine glasses.
- Top each parfait with a sprinkle of toasted, chopped pecans.
- Chill the parfaits in the refrigerator before serving.
Notes
- Straining the yogurt for at least an hour is a crucial step that removes excess whey, resulting in a much thicker, creamier texture similar to Greek yogurt.
- The whipped cream is divided to lighten both the yogurt and cranberry mixtures, creating two distinct, airy layers.
- This is a great make-ahead dessert, as it needs to be chilled before serving.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This Cranberry Orange Parfait is the absolute perfect make-ahead dessert for a stress-free holiday.
- Make-Ahead: This dessert is actually designed to be made ahead! You can fully assemble the parfaits up to 24 hours in advance. Keep them covered in the refrigerator. Just be sure to wait to add the crunchy pecan topping until right before you serve, so the pecans stay perfectly crisp.
- Storage: Store any leftover parfaits, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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Creative Recipe Variations
This light and elegant dessert is a wonderful base for your own creative and festive twists.
- Add a Crunchy Cookie Layer: For an extra layer of delicious texture that is reminiscent of a classic trifle, you can add a layer of crushed, crisp gingersnap cookies or buttery shortbread cookies in between the creamy layers of the parfait.
- Make it a Holiday Trifle: To serve a larger crowd, you can easily turn this recipe into a stunning trifle. Simply double the recipe and layer the two cream mixtures with cubes of angel food cake or pound cake in a large, glass trifle bowl.
- Use a Different Fruit Combination: For a different but equally delicious flavor profile, you could swap the cranberry sauce and the orange marmalade for a beautiful combination of lemon curd in the yogurt layer and a simple, fresh raspberry sauce for the second layer.
Enjoy Your New Favorite No-Bake Dessert!
You’ve just created a wonderfully fun, creative, and stunningly delicious dessert that is sure to be the star of your holiday table. This Cranberry Orange Parfait is a perfect harmony of light, creamy textures and bright, festive flavors. It’s a rewarding and impressive dessert that proves that the most elegant dishes can also be the most simple to create.
We hope you and your family love this beautiful new tradition!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who is looking for a perfect make-ahead holiday dessert!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the best way to strain yogurt, and is it really necessary?
Straining the yogurt is a highly recommended step that makes a huge difference in the final texture of your parfait! It removes the watery whey and creates a much thicker, creamier, and richer yogurt that is very similar to a store-bought Greek yogurt. The easiest way to do it is to line a fine-mesh sieve with a coffee filter or a double layer of paper towels, set it over a bowl, and let the yogurt drain.
Q2: Can I use store-bought Greek yogurt instead of straining my own plain yogurt?
Yes, absolutely! If you are short on time, you can use 2 cups of a high-quality, full-fat, plain Greek yogurt as a fantastic shortcut.
Q3: Can I make these parfaits a day or two before my holiday meal?
Yes, this is the perfect make-ahead dessert! You can fully assemble the parfaits and keep them, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Just be sure to wait to add the crunchy pecan topping until right before you plan to serve them for the best texture.
Q4: My whipped cream is runny and won’t form soft peaks. What did I do wrong?
Runny whipped cream is almost always caused by the cream not being cold enough. For the best, most stable, and fluffiest whipped cream, it is crucial that your heavy cream is very cold, straight from the back of your refrigerator. It is also a great professional trick to chill your mixing bowl and the beaters from your electric mixer in the freezer for about 15 minutes before you begin.
Q5: What else could I use for a crunchy topping besides the pecans?
If you have a nut allergy or are not a fan of pecans, a sprinkle of crushed gingersnap cookies, a simple granola, or even some toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) would all be fantastic, crunchy, and festive alternatives.